Do you ever get tired of not being able to make price comparisons because everyone sells a different size or brand of spices? Truly, this stuff keeps me from buying things sometimes. I simply don’t want to overpay if I can help it. So, I want to know the BEST price of spices I buy.
Now, of course, spices come in fairly small packages so how much can you save here? Turns out, a LOT. I’ve been making homemade chorizo sausage (see that recipe here – it’s the last sausage in the list). This takes a LOT of chili powder. When I ran out of my giant package from Costco, I found they didn’t carry it anymore. Back to the drawing board with price checking on this!
Comparing chili powder prices
I shop at several stores…kinda depends on the sales that week and what I’m wanting to buy if it’s not on sale. For chili powder, I checked Aldi, Walmart, and Kroger. The task is to get them all into per ounce prices so you’re comparing “apples to apples.” (Some stores put this right on the price tag for you as you’ll see in the pics.) Here’s what I found…
- Aldi Stonemill, 2.5 oz bottle, 38.8c/oz
- Walmart Great Value, 5.8 oz bottle, 56.9c/oz
- Kroger Smidge & Spoon, 2.19 oz bottle, 57.1c/oz
- Kroger McCormick, 7.5 oz bottle, 83.9c/oz
- Dollar General Clover Valley, 2.5 oz bottle, 40c/oz
- Dollar General McCormick, 2.5 oz bottle, $1.38/oz (WOW!)
As you can see, there’s actually a REALLY big difference in the per ounce prices! Today’s Aldi run saw me buying 3 of these little Stonemill chili powders so I would have enough for a couple of weeks. I certainly don’t want to be paying that much for the McCormick brand, even though the package is a lot bigger. Proof you pay more for brand names…a LOT more! (more on that here)
Comparing garlic powder prices
My second favorite spice is garlic powder. I don’t go through it quite as quickly as chili powder, but I do use a lot. Surprisingly, the price variation was even wider on this one! Here’s the breakdown…
- Aldi Stonemill, 3.12 oz bottle, 31.1c/oz
- Kroger Smidge & Spoon, 2 oz bottle, 62.5c/oz
- Kroger generic, 9.25 oz bottle, 75.6c/oz
- Kroger generic, 24.7 oz bottle, 46.5c/oz
- Dollar General McCormick, 3.12 oz bottle, $1.53/oz (You’ve GOT to be kidding!)
- Dollar General Clover Valley, 2.5 oz bottle, 40c/oz
I simply threw in the Dollar General prices because the name suggests Dollar Store…but it’s clearly not. It’s more of a convenience store. And while I’ve actually found some of their Clover Valley products to be cheaper than generics at other stores, I might go there for chili powder in a pinch (if they had it in stock!) but certainly not for garlic powder.
Two other things to consider: coupons and sales
Yes, that brand name product might end up the better buy with a coupon or on sale. But how will you know that if you don’t know the best price normally for comparison? As my grandma would say, “Nuff said on that!”
Being cost conscious…weigh grocery cost vs. the cost of your time
If you don’t have a variety of stores to choose from all grouped or close to other stores you frequent, you have to weigh the cost between the groceries and your time and gas to get them. But if you know the best place to buy them, you know if you don’t normally go to that store, at some point you’ll need to stock up when you DO go there.
We finally have a Trader Joe’s that is easier to get in and out of (parking lot AND street-wise). Unfortunately, it’s 45-minute drive from my home. I don’t get a lot of things there, but the things I do get, I get multiples of when I’m in that part of town already. Gotta do all those errands at the same time to get the best use out of my time and gas money.
Do you compare the price of spices?
It makes me sad to think that people end up paying way more than they could. Remember, the store isn’t pricing to help YOU. They’re a business trying to keep a healthy profit…but how healthy?
It does take a little time and diligence if you really wanna make it add up, but even a brief glance at all the sizes and per ounce prices of could add up to big savings on just about anything you buy.
I’d love to hear how you compare prices. Let me know your strategy in the comments below!
